CHELSEA’S crunch clash with Liverpool on January 2 will see the return of standing to top flight football.
The Stamford Bridge club were one of four Prem sides, plus Cardiff, who have been confirmed as getting the go ahead to trial ‘safe standing’ from January 1.
Chelsea, Spurs and the two Manchester giants applied to become the first English top two tier clubs to allow standing in nearly 30 years.
And a quirk of the calendar means the match between the two title contenders on January 2 will be the first to have standing home and away fans in almost three decades.
Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston announced the quartet, plus Cardiff in the Welsh capital, will be the guinea pigs to see if standing options should be rolled out across the country.
Standing was banned as a result of the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster, which saw all-seater stadia required.
Now, though, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority has approved the trials, which saw the clubs having to meet strict criteria which include fans in the standing areas still being able to sit and the current seated capacity of the area being maintained.
The clubs also agreed that away fans will also be allowed to stand in specific areas.
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Spurs built safe standing provision options into their new £1billion home and chairman Daniel Levy said: “The Club has led on lobbying the Government for safe standing at stadia and is delighted that this will now be possible.
“It delivers choice for fans attending the game – whether home or away supporters – and the vast majority of our fans are in favour of this scheme.
“We are extremely proud of our ‘safe seating’ design, which ensures both comfort and safety, whether standing or seated, while maintaining the same aesthetics as in all other areas of the stadium.”
Huddleston added: “The time is now right to properly trial safe standing in the Premier League and EFL Championship ahead of a decision on a widespread roll-out.
“Safety is absolutely paramount and the SGSA is working hand-in-glove with the clubs on this.
“Fans deserve different options on how they can enjoy a live match and I will be watching the progress of these trials with interest.”
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